Councillors worry about intensification
November 28, 2005

Councillors are worried about the provincial government requirement that 40% of new growth in Hamilton be in the form of intensification. The final draft of the Places to Grow legislation was released last week, on the same day as councillors met to discuss the city's 30-year growth plan.

Steve Robichaud, the manager of the Growth Related Integrated Development Strategy (GRIDS), presented council with a map showing areas where city staff believe more residential units can be added to existing built-up neighbourhoods, especially in the lower city between Wellington Street and the 403, plus along major arterial roads in other parts of the community.

That drew concerns from several councillors. Chad Collins predicted strong community resistance to the intensification plans. "It happens with almost every application that comes forward," he said, asking what would happen if Hamilton didn't accomplish the provincial goals. "Is it realistic we're going to reach those provincial numbers, even though the broader community may say - we're not in favour of that provincial direction?"

His concerns were echoed by Bill Kelly who noted that the city already plans for higher densities along major roads but "if you look at the way these neighbourhoods are developing. it hasn't happened that way." As an example, Kelly pointed to recent opposition encountered by councillor Tom Jackson over a development at Mohawk and Upper Ottawa.

Robichaud said a consultant had looked into the 40% figure and concluded that it is a "reasonable number". He also emphasized that "the province has made it very clear that 40% is what municipalities must achieve; it's not a discretionary number." Collins replied that meant more conflict ahead. "So in certain areas of the city we may bring people on kicking and screaming? That's how I see it."

Dundas councillor Art Samson argued that community "buy-in" can only be accomplished if the city's decision-making process is reformed. "If we're going to say community involvement is important, then we have to make it meaningful community involvement or else you're going to have situations where people just say you're being run by the developers," he declared, pointing to a recent battle in Dundas over development of a former school site. He described the current process as having "very little, if any, give and take" and suggested that "people see through that and they think the whole thing is a façade".

Ward one councillor Brian McHattie agreed with Samson that the Dundas situation "was handled in a horrible fashion", and called for a staff investigation on how to avoid conflicts through better public participation, including a study of past practices. "We've got lots of experience, just here in Hamilton, let alone in southern Ontario and throughout the Golden Horseshoe, on what works and what doesn't."

That brought a response from Paul Mason, the city's director of long range planning, who said that staff understand "that the way we've done it in the past is not the way we can proceed from here on in." He said this is also the message from the provincial government, but argued that "the biggest reform we have to achieve is just changing people's image of what intensification is".

He noted that the only models in Hamilton and other Ontario communities are from the 1960s and 1970s "and if we were to repeat that model then I'd be out there opposing, because it is not a good model for today's society."

"There are a lot more sophisticated, a lot more humane, a lot more better scale and most sophisticated design solutions . to achieve what we're calling intensification," Mason contended, emphasizing that "simply increasing the density without improving the quality of life is a disaster."

Public information centres on the growth plans are scheduled for 6-9 pm on Monday at the Salvation Army building at 300 Winterberry Drive in upper Stoney Creek; Wednesday at St. Mary's Catholic High School, 200 Whitney Avenue, Hamilton; and the following Monday (December 5) at the former Dundas Town Hall.

The centres do not include presentations or opportunities for public discussion and debate. Instead residents are limited to examining displays and asking questions of individual city staff. The staff report can be viewed at http://www.myhamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyres/06FE21A8-E6D4-4199-AB56-
97C140BF8BE1/0/Nov24CM05038GRIDSGrowthOptions.pdf.